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Thank you to the many people who made the 2006 Thanksgiving fundraiser for children in Lukoyanov, Russia, a success. Through your generous donations, we raised $1,407, which we sent directly to Russia to purchase supplies for a number of schools serving low-income children in the region. It was especially rewarding to see the appreciation and generosity of teacher Alexander Parkhomenko, with whom we worked on the fundraiser from the very beginning. To thank the Cosmo Club, Parkhomenko had his art students paint pictures for us to exhibit throughout the winter, some of which we sold to raise additional money for the schools. The University YMCA graciously allowed us to display the pictures at the International Dinner and throughout the rest of the Spring semester. Alexander Parkhomenko was diligent in dividing up the money among a variety of schools in order not to arouse jealousy among teachers or administrators. He took care to find out in each case what teachers felt they needed most. We can be sure that the supplies purchased are being well used (not always the case with donations from overseas). Since Lukoyanov is some distance from any major city, purchasing the supplies meant more than simply running to the store to pick them up. Parkhomenko himself traveled to Nizhny Novgorod (four hours away by bus) to select and purchase the supplies, and made arrangements to have the larger items, such as white boards, delivered to Lukoyanov. According to a recent e-mail from Alexander (of Dec. 19), prices in Russia are rapidly rising and it has become even harder for rural teachers and schools to make ends meet. He writes: “Here in Russia food prices have doubled and continue to go up. Prices of construction materials have gone up by 250%. We haven’t bought any in a long time. [His family is trying to repair their home.] And yet salaries have only gone up by 10-15%. Salaries increase each month, but they still aren’t keeping up with prices. It seems like a serious inflation is beginning in our country, although our government denies it. In general, a teacher’s salary here is only enough for utilities, taxes, and food.” “Given the current political situation and the presidential campaign, there have recently been many promises made by the government. The president insisted in interviews that our country is doing well and can take care of itself, promising support for areas such as education and health care. As a result, some schools (about 1 in 10) received one million rubles ($40,400) each. But with prices the way they currently are, even one million rubles only provides furniture and supplies for two classrooms. The president thinks the problem is now solved. Oh, well. This is better than nothing.” “Here are heartfelt greetings from the teachers, children, and parents to the Cosmo Club from our town of Lukoyanov. May these warm words be kind wishes for Christmas and the New Year 2008 to all members of the Cosmopolitan Club.” |